Like Father, Like Son
It hadn't even been an hour since the explosion. Fires raged all around their once office, lab, home and city, but now it laid in ruins. Anyone within the line of sight of who survived the blast was in significant danger of his wrath. Whomever did this would suffer a very long, drawn-out death. The only thoughts running through his mind keeping him sane were two things. His kids.
"WHERE ARE THEY?!" He screeched, his ragged voice strained from the force of the blast, years of surviving fumes of the mines and smoking. A faint shift to his left revealed a large broad-shouldered woman with a beautiful face riddled with pain and absolute hatred. Her sneer gave her words away before she said them. Only one of his pupils contracted, while the other remained unaffected by his mounting fury.
"We didn't find either of them in the rubble... we're working on it. The Enforcers are combing all over our turf, looking for proof of bodies. Knowing Jinx, she is strong and more than likely got out before. It's-" The expression of fear on her face made it apparent she stepped a bit too far.
"DO NOT, dare say it Sevika. I would know if either of them is dead, without proof. Jinx I have no doubt is fine. She seems oddly capable of avoiding certain doom. He, on the other hand is ungodly stubborn, even more irksomely so than Vander. Physically he is not strong but mentally he is unmovable. Strictly speaking, he's too stubborn to be killed so easily. He's a smart boy, he knew the risks. He's alive. And I dare pray you don't prove me wrong."
Sevika narrows her eyes, despite her own feelings about the pair she knows better than to test Silco's inexplicably thin patience. The sneer formed into a deep scowl as she turned.
"I'll do what I can. I found survivors of our group, and I'll send them to find them. When we do we will report back. But my top priority is YOUR safety. I will be back the moment I send those orders. The cause dies if you're not around. So don't be a dumb ass and do something stupid while I'm gone."
With a faint mechanical click, Sevika turned and walked briskly back to the small group of ragged looking survivors, huddled far enough back in the somewhat intact brick and motor alleyway. There was a loud series of orders being barked out from Sevika as the ragtag group slowly dispersed to attempt to locate the two missing members. The sound made Silco's blood freeze, as he stared where his office just was moments ago. A faint hum escaped his throat lazily, as he knelt slowly down to his shattered cigar box, the one sat nestled next to his favorite bomb design made by Jinx.
A faint sad quirk of his lips traced itself across his face, as he reminisced in the bittersweet memory. All lost now. It was one of his most prized possessions from his kids, along with the first little robot his son successfully created. Clankerbot, he called it. How it made him smile seeing the rare toothy smile his little boy gave him that day when he said how proud he was of him. Such a shy timid little boy. Yet he grew up to be extremely hard headed stubborn as EVER and wickedly intelligent, yet so fragile physically.
Yet despite it all he became so strong of mind and will. It reminded him so much of himself when he was younger. Still to this day he hated seeing his little birds getting older and ready to spread their wings, into a society of rotten people no food less chances of a happy life and under the feet of the topsiders, who know nothing of what it is like to suffer. It made him sick. Before he knew it Sevika was back at his side, waiting to escort him to a safer location. That ever present indifferent scowl returned to his face, his back still to her.
"Even now I presume you won't even grant me the chance to search for my own offspring hm?" Silco asked, a faint hint of cynical sarcasm creeping into his slippery tone. Sevika snorted and walked next to him, easily dwarfing him by a solid foot. Despite that he didn't flinch. HER loyalty to him was resolute, solid, and never wavering. She was one of the very few people who nearly had his full trust. Nearly.
Sevika stares at him, despite being taller it is not a condescending stare but a stern look of respect yet concern.
"Being your kids, it'd take a lot to kill them. Especially Jinx. They will turn up. But right now with all these Enforcers around, we don't have the time to waste or risk. We need to go..." She said, with a tone oddly lacking in severity. Perhaps he mistook it but he swore he heard a legitimate twinge of fear at the very end. That's new. The moment was gone the moment she set a hand on his shoulder nudging him forward. She was right. If he died, there'd be nothing. Nothing for his kids to come back to. They'd find them. He'd scour the rubble as he went, hoping for a sign they'd be OK.
"Fine. Lead the way." He hissed, eyes narrowing as he strode along behind her, scanning every nook and cranny as he went through the remains of the small life and family he had built, and just watched burn to the ground before his eyes.
***...Meanwhile, a few blocks over in Zaun...***
The streets were swarmed with enforcers, and nowhere seemed safe. For whatever reason fate seemed hellbent on absolutely screwing him over. First, he was minding his own damn business in his home, when his sister storms in and, of course had to start shit up. Not again...Unfortunately, she and their father had another tiff. Normally, he kept his nose out of his father's business, especially because he hated how often it resorted to violence. And shimmer. It hadn't even been 10 seconds before she leaned on his shoulder her long blue braids nearly hitting him in the face as she moved like a liquid cat across his room desk and the back of the chair he was sitting in. How the HELL she did it he didn't know. Honestly, kinda hurt especially since he was physically limited to a fragile and less than ideal body. Especially his leg. Watching her move so effortlessly while he barely managed to walk without a cane and a custom made leg brace honestly felt somewhat insulting. Either way, it was extremely graceful, when she hadn't been doing it to be a typical obnoxious sister. As she was right now.
"What happened this time...?" He said, his voice husky from lack of use and thick accent. The bags under his eyes were getting more prominent by the day. Sleep had been getting more and more difficult, especially with how many orders he had to fill for his clients. And fact he had a very hard time saying no to those who were suffering. And how the numbers only kept getting longer and longer and longer.
Prosthetics and repairs for many miscellaneous items never ceased. Small jobs to big ones, he didn’t care. He was helping them in his own small way. Meanwhile, his father assisted drug dependency, gang wars, and violence. Unfortunately, he learned at a young age to keep those opinions to himself. And how his father was NOT going to get him to build weapons. Jinx handled that, not him. It certainly didn't stop them from having some occasional nasty spats about the displeasure of each other's CAREER choices. Regardless, he did raise him as his own when he lost everything, even younger than Jinx first met Silco... Even though they don't see eye to eye, Silco was still their dad and always would be.
"SO, dad told me to go up topside and steal some stupid blue gem thingies, right?" Jinx says, leaning on his shoulder as he busily tightens a belt on a heavy machine laid out in front of him, and Jinx gently probes one of his goggle lens up from his eye, making him groan and pause his work. Viktor grimaced at the gesture and sighed in defeat to drop his wrench and stare at her, annoyed.
"And DID you commit theft of these pretty blue gems dad asked you to?" He asked, in a rather deadpan tone. His sister could be annoying grating and absolutely aggravating on all levels, but deep down he does care deeply for her. Judging from the gleam in her deep blue eyes she certainly was going to explain it in a very colorful overzealous story.
"Well, DUH, COURSE I did! Like wow it wasn't even that hard to break in. They focus all their guards in halls doorways windows. But the funny thing is they don't have them IN their labs. Weird huh? So while Sevika handled all the easy guards I took the more fun way and snuck in using the vent systems, also no security on those, and grabbed em. But, that's where things get... messy." The sudden drop in pitch and tone and the increased fidgeting made Viktor pause and look at her.
"Jinx, what happened..." Viktor asked, his golden hazel eyes focusing on her, worry and concern creeping into his voice. When she refused to make eye contact with him and the fidgeting got worse, he knew it was bad.
"OKAY well! I didn't- KNOW those stupid pretty gem thingies could cause..... explosions." She says, her foot tapping rapidly and her eyes shifting all over the room. Her left hand was gripping tightly on her right shoulder as she glanced around, now standing up before pacing frantically. All the color left Viktor's face as he rose from his desk, grimacing as his hip and leg screamed angrily in pain from lack of use and such an abrupt motion.
"Jinx, Jinx- Calm down! Stop... I'm here okay? Take a breath. So what happened the building exploded? How did you not get hurt?!" He asked frustration and anger boiling. Why would Silco make her go after something so dangerous?! She was gifted brilliant but she was HIS LITTLE SISTER, and anything happened to her he would absolutely never forgive any of them. Or himself for letting her go do something so stupid. Then again, it's not like anything he said or did ever would STOP her either.
She lived on the edge of danger every day. She thrived off it. It honestly gave him a pang of jealousy, how easily she could adapt and live a much more adventurous if not reckless life. Yet, he knew that kind of life wasn't for him. Routine and stability were what kept him grounded. And books. Oh, all the books. There are never enough books and knowledge. But books couldn't ever replace Jinx. Nothing could.
It was a long moment when Jinx stood still and stared down at the ground. Her voice shook faintly and her gaze finally met his, eyes firmly locked on him.
"I was... about to sneak out when a guard caught me. I was about to duck out the window when they fired their gun, it hit the gem thingie. Then... half of the council building was blown to smithereens. And... dad was real mad. Like I ain't ever seen him this mad, MAD. It wasn't even MY FAULT!" She yelled, her eyes welling up with tears. There is a pause and a faint jump when he hugged her, but this time she didn't try to shove him off. Or fight him. Physical contact never was Viktor's comfort zone, but he knew if Jinx was upset enough to come to him and nearly cry, he knew she desperately needed a hug. Guess he could make this exception. Just this once. And deny it anytime she attempted to use this against him as blackmail in the future.
"Hey, you did amazing. First off, you probably pissed off Sevika, which is always a good start~" Viktor said playfully, with a devious rise in his pitch at the end of his comment which earned a faint snort and a giggle from Jinx. That mischievous gleam returned to her eyes as she looked up at him, as he slowly reached for his cane and stood fully beside her.
"Second, you snuck in through the air system, on your own, broke into the highest-level security building and swiped up incredibly important Piltover Technology right under their noses! To me I know that you were absolutely how you say, a bad ass?" He said and the dorky expression on his face earned him a playful punch to the shoulder. Even with her holding back it certainly did smart. For someone so small, she REALLY packed a punch.
"Well... I guess but dad was... real upset. Said the Pilties would be up in arms and 'see it as a threat and a declaration of war' or some stupid thing like that! Fortunately, the blast knocked me into the river, bit scraped up and Sevika and the others got out before they got hurt. No one got killed but from what I heard definitely hospitalized. None of them pompous councilors were there so I don't see WHY it's such a big deal!" Jinx huffed, and slumped into his chair like she was a balloon that just instantly deflated. She made Silco's dramatic episodes look comical in comparison.
"Hm, pretty sure you DID blow up their most fancy and expensive building...-" A cog he had on his desk narrowly missed his head by an inch, and coming from Jinx she definitely missed intentionally. Judging from the scowl forming on his face and the scrunched up look on hers they were back to the typical sibling shenanigans.
"OH shut it you nerd."
"I prefer scientist, thank you."
"UGH you're gonna go into that stupid lecture about the differences between a nerd and a scientist aren't you?!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out as she sat in his chair facing the wrong way.
"WELL since you brought it up-"
"OH ew absolutely not! Today was shitty enough I don't need your nerd scientist lectures too!!" She exclaimed, with a lil extra emphasis to add a bit of harshness to it. Luckily Viktor knew she was joking and he smirked, inhaled like he was about to go onto a LONG LONG speech about it when she pushed him carefully back to his seat and put the goggles, he didn't even notice she managed to steal off his head during their conversation.
A bit baffled, Viktor glanced around as he struggled to process exactly how quickly she can move and if she actually secretly was made of liquid. Judging from that classic smug Jinx expression and hand on hip look she at least had perked up a bit. With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, Viktor slowly eased himself back into his chair as Jinx made her way to the door with a half drunken like sway.
"If you're going to show off go do it elsewhere! And DO NOT TAKE my stuff-" Viktor retorted, turning back to his now completely unorganized desk, while Jinx made her way to his lab doorway, grinning.
"Ppft don't be so angry grumpy pants! And hey.... thanks. For real I mean it... You're the best bro I can ask for. But that never leaves this room!" She whispers giving him the "I'm watching you" hand gestures while staring right at him. The look he returned is one of cold calculated thinking as he stared at her display.
"Hmmmmmm. I guess I'll think about not saying anything of that HUG never comes up-" he countered levelly, the faintest hint of deviousness creeping into his flat businessman tone. The pout he earned quickly made him groan. Ugh, he was going so soft because of his sister. One day she will end up breaking him and he'll cave to her puppy dog eyes. As of right now, she hadn't broken him yet. Unlike Silco. But the SECRECT STARE, was a whole different ball game.
"I was joking. We never speak of this to anyone other than us, I swear on my life!" He stated loudly, making an X motion over his chest where his heart is, a ritual he and Jinx made over the years as kids for swearing absolute secrecy. Neither of them had ever broken it yet, and he hoped it wouldn't ever happen. When she smiled gently, he couldn't help but do the same, before she waved and softly shut the door behind her. If he was honest, the lab was much quieter when she wasn't there, but also was a lot more.... boring. What a crazy thought.
It had taken over an hour for Viktor to put his desk back to its proper organized state ( of chaos) when he paused. Something felt wrong. Whatever was going on, it was getting louder. And closer. Normally, his neighbors and people passing by their home knew better than to make a lot of noise, especially at the risk Sevika may be banging on your door, and she rarely if ever gave warnings. A few broken fingers WAS her definition of a warning. Very convincing one too. Cautiously, Viktor rose from his desk slowly, hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He wasn't imagining things, that was people running- screaming- and sounds of a very serious scuffle or scuffles heading right towards their home. His blood froze. Silco always warned him the dangers he'd ESPECIALLY be in because he can't run, but what he was good at was hiding and using a quick wit.
Unfortunately, combat was a very poor choice for him as he wouldn't stand much of a chance unless he nailed someone to the head with his cane- and that's if he's lucky. Aaaand unfortunately a decent portion of Zaun knowing he's SILCO'S son.... oh that means the chances of not being killed but TAKEN increased to a VERY HIGH probability. He swore under his breath in his native tongue for literally running the calculations of the probabilities of that happening in his head. Really, NOW?!
With a shaky hand he gripped his cane and slid it under his arm, glancing around trying to figure out which spot would be best- by the time he made it halfway across the lab the screaming and sounds of fleeing Zaunians was so loud they were practically outside of his door-
He caught a glimpse of some fleeing people, horror etched on their faces. It was just a split second but one was missing half an arm, blood going everywhere before the sound of a gunshot and a sound of a wall being hit with something wet made him nearly puke on the spot. Normally, Silco kept him very far from any of the blood, gore, drug deals since he clearly hated them. AND the fact Viktor spent an entire week making his father's life a living HELL through endless complaining and ranting he decided the cost of making Viktor endure such things was not worth the benefit. The only time he ever did it he handled it with a very cold detached expression and a poker face to even rival Silco's, but that didn't stop his pure disgust with his father afterwards. Granted... he was grounded from his lab for a MONTH after he won that argument but it was worth it. Spared him seeing unnecessary violence and suffering... Well. Any ADDITIONAL suffering, anyhow...
A second gunshot caused part of the glass window to his right to shatter into bits, making him flinch and instinctively cover his face and eyes with his arm. They may not know he's in there yet- two more steps till he was at the floor hatch door-
Glass cut and dug itself into his boots and feet, making him grimace with every step. Shit- he tugged hard at the hatch door lever and pulled once he was kneeling on the ground and cleared as much of the glass shards as he could with a nearby book. While he was on the floor wanted to spare his legs shins and knees any extra glass shards. His boots and feet had enough, he didn't need MORE. Despite his best efforts, some sneaky shards managed to bury themselves in his legs anyhow. All he could do was try to ignore the pain and possible bleeding. Without pausing he heaved open the heavy metal door hidden directly in the middle of his lab when he heard the sound of something metal being shot out of what sounded like a large hollow tube. There was endless screaming now, and sounds of muffled barked orders metal armor and weapons making contact with bone clothes and skin. Enforcers- this was VERY BAD-
He didn't have long when the rest of his window shattered fully, the damage exacerbated by the metal looking can that came in and clattered loudly on the wood floors. By the time the can stilled, he had managed to wedge the hatch door open wide enough for him to slip though and quickly close it behind him. It was a horrendously painful struggle to get on his knees alone and slowly swing his legs over the trapdoor edge, but the noise outside was quickly disrupted by a new and much more worrying sound. The can burst open, spewing large amounts of a noxious green gas into the lab, clouding the entire space with a green haze thick enough to grab with his bare hands. It spun in circles as it did, propulsion forcing all the contents out of its small metal prison at a startling fast rate. Viktor gagged and wheezed, tears streaming down his face as the gas stole every ounce of clean air in a matter of seconds. It burned his eyes, blurring his vision and made his lungs feel like they were on literal fire. The coughs and wheezes it caused him to double over, stalling his escape to the mines and dirt flooring below. Before he knew it the front door of his home was kicked in followed by heavily armored enforcers came swarming in. Their guns were at the ready, sniper sights sending small red beamlike lights scouring over his family home.
Weakly Viktor attempted to cover his nose and mouth using his under shirt, staring down at the bleak scape deep down beneath his laboratory. Last time Silco made them do emergency runs for such events, the specially designed sliding metal ladder did had extended down into the darker depths lurking below. The time between then and now, it seemed the ladder had become jammed. The ladder whined and creaked, the metal just within sight hidden slightly under the hatch door groaned weakly in protest. Of course, of COURSE it would be stuck. Why would anything work? Life was never that simple. Especially when it was actually important. If he wasn't in a possible life or death situation, he so would've cussed the thing out harshly before PASSIVE AGGRESSIVELY tearing it apart and putting it back together. With an agitated groan and a series of coughs, he dragged his cane a bit closer, before scooting towards the side of the hatch door, squinting best he can to see where the motor was. There. He could just barely see it. If he was going to do this, he’d have to be fast and precise. One wrong move, either a spark or a noise, could have deadly consequences. A spark could end up blowing them ALL UP, and too much noise would risk bringing the enforcers to him faster.
Neither sounded good, so…. Viktor took a slow breath before lowering himself onto his stomach, with his cane now hanging in his hands and arms dangling down into the darkness just above where the ladder would have been. He had to force himself NOT to look down, because he knew he'd clam up if he did. The thought made his hands shake a little but, but it didn't deter him. With a confident grunt, he thrust his cane forward with as much force he felt would knock the machinery’s safety lock. The motor whined and groaned, and the safety lock creaked eerily, before a loud clunk followed. Part of the very rusted safety lock was hanging loosely from the strong elastic belt, but it was still holding on. Perhaps another hit or two-
A loud crash and something sounding like plates shattering a couple rooms down from him made him wince. They were closing in and fast. The next few hits would definitely be loud- but he had to risk it. They did not know this home inside and out like he and Jinx did. When they were younger they took time to explore every possible nook and cranny, even the creepy dirt barren foundation structures and jokes of Silco storing bodies down there. To be fair... He more than likely dumped at least a few down there... At the moment he was beginning to feel the urge to dump a few himself... The one thing that kept bothering him was a bunch of bastards currently destroying everything in their home. The sudden realization made his blood boil, and his grip on his cane tightened. A deep growl began to form in his throat as he heard more items and bits of his property currently being demolished filled with a burning fury, one he needed to dislodge a safety lock-
With a lot more rage behind his cane, he managed to hit the locking mechanism two more times before the machine whined before a loud SNAP followed. The entire time he was trying to limit his breathing, to avoid causing more coughing fits and drawing more attention to himself. The elastic band and locking mechanism slipped off, and the motor screeched as it dropped from it's prison and plummeted to the ground below. There was a tense silence from the entire house, before the now damaged motor hit the dirt ground with a horrifically loud series of crashes bangs and what sounded like a minor pipe bursting. Loose cogs and screws fell slowly after, adding small mechanical background noises seeming to shift all attention to his lab. There was a tense and unsettling silence as the enforcers' seemed to stop what they were doing and all directed it towards HIM. A loud screech of metal made Viktor stare in dismay as the now freed ladder was sent speeding down to the earth below, and smashing the remainder of the safety mechanism that somehow survived the drop. The sound made his stomach churn, especially since it meant he still needed to go DOWN that very same ladder-
By the time he slowly scooted himself to the edge of the hatch door, there was sounds of his locked laboratory door being jiggled. Sweat began to bead his forehead, he had been doing all this within three minutes and that gas was starting to make his head swim and his body began to feel so heavy and tired. The burning sensation within his lungs began to sting, as he carefully slipped his right foot onto the first wrung of the ladder, his legs shaking a lot. He hated heights… especially ladders. It took several deep breaths before he could put both his feet on the first wrung, mainly using his upper body strength to hold himself steady.
The ladder seemed to wobble a bit, making him tense up. Wearily he grabbed his cane and slipped it over his left wrist, trying to keep it balanced and also not fall off the ladder. Now the only panel of wood (the door) keeping from being brutally murdered was being slammed against with full force by a large enforcer, making Viktor swallow his fear and scurry down the ladder as quickly as he could.
It hurt like hell, as his knee, hip and back screamed in pain at each step or rather awkward shuffle down. It was far from graceful or dignified, but it worked as long as he didn’t die or break a bone. By the time he got far enough down the ladder, he watched as the hatch door groaned and slowly shut itself closed. It sealed itself with a loud whine and a hiss. A loud relieved sigh escaped Viktor's lips, he was elated the shutting mechanism didn’t break from him bashing the shit out of the motor system. By the time he wearily shimmied down to the 5th wrung, he heard his lab door smash open. He was mildly impressed to hear the door actually being knocked off its hinges and fully slamming onto the wooden floor with a heavy thump. The vibrations and shaking it caused Viktor to tense up as the ladder shifted and creaked dangerously, his hands sweating and his body trembled. GOD he HATED heights.
All he could do was bite his lower lip to keep his shocked gasp from escaping his lips and alerting the enforcers literally walking only a few feet above his head. Every time they stepped on the wooden floors, dirt and dusted began to rain from the ceiling, easily giving away their location. A series of louder than average footsteps filled the room, and the bustling noise of his lab being torn apart stopped abruptly. This must mean a very high-ranking authority was present… why would they be at HIS home though-
“Did you find anyone…?” Spoke a voice so deep and gruff it nearly gave Viktor chills. Something about the tone commanded absolute attention, and utmost respect. It also made Viktor bristle. That was an accent he was unfamiliar with. Thick, gruff and definitely distant. Not from Piltover or Zaun, but why would outsiders involve themselves in Piltover or Zaunian business? And why the HELL would they be going around assisting in the murder of people just trying to SURVIVE this he ridden hole?! This complicated things significantly- especially with dad's business and Jinx- They were in serious danger-
Perhaps if he got some information, he’d be able to feed what he found out to his father- if he was still alive… and free. His thoughts were disrupted when the Enforcer a few feet to the left of him shifted before stuttering pretty badly. The floorboards creaked and dust fell lazily, making Viktor’s nose twitch. A tickle in his throat started forcing him to scrunch up his nose and face, as he desperately hoped to hold back a cough or a sneeze. This was horrible timing...
“W-we are doing our best, s-sir.” The man seemed to shift sightly making every single enforcer in the room quickly take a step back. What kind of man would make them that scared…? When the man merely grunted the entire room collectively nearly pissed themselves. Viktor was both impressed and horrified. There was a soft pause, before the man seemed to… be looking for something. A sudden cold sweat made Viktor’s whole body tense up. Everyone in the room seemed to sense it, too. Before he could even blink, he felt it first, before he heard it. A single solid hit to the hatch door, and the edge of the door buckled. That was made of solid metal! And he was now staring at a hand that was almost as large as his head protruding from the edge which was now completely smashed through, like wet paper.
His body refused to work- he was frozen in place. It was incredible to watch such strength, such raw power. Before he could blink, the hand began to pull upwards, prying the metal door off its securely locked seal like peeling plastic off a sealed food container. It… was completely open now. And he was staring up at a man who was holding a door that weighed over 50 pounds… like a piece of PAPER, LIKE NOTHING AT ALL.
Every single enforcer was staring in slack jawed awe at this man, who must’ve been over seven feet tall. Enormous wasn’t even a good enough word to describe this man. Rippling with muscles, there was no ounce of fat within sight. His hair was a dark shade of brown, almost like the bark of the very rare trees that managed to survive a short time in Zaun. A thick beard and mustache adorned his face, his eyes a steely lighter shade of brown than his hair, brimming with sheer determination and unshakable willpower. At present his rather pretty brown eyes were threatening to bore holes through his head. Every single fiber of this man screamed power, authority, and commanded utmost respect. And… now all that pure look of disgust was staring DIRECTLY down at HIM. His insides churned, as for once he felt absolutely horrified. There was absolutely no reason lurking behind that man’s gaze. It was filled with his exact intent, fetch HIM. If they wanted him dead, they would not have wasted their time invading his home. They needed him alive…
And for a split-second Viktor was staring and doing very sloppy calculations of just how easy this giant of a man COULD reach into the basement from where he was kneeling... The man seemed to be thinking the same thing, debating if he’d be able to snatch Viktor from where he was holding onto the ladder for dear life. Now for an entirely DIFFERENT reason. There was the chance… due to his size he would be very slow- and that was the biggest and worst assumption he ever made in his life.
Within the blink of an eye, the man was already moving like a bolt of lightning, massive hand outstretched trying to grab him off the ladder. Viktor barely had even a split second to react- Instinctively, he crouched down, feeling the man’s index and middle finger just barely graze the back of his neck. Just judging from the swing, this man was absolutely holding back, and even just that graze was enough to leave a sizable red nick along the back of his neck. Normally, he prided himself on being level headed in tense and dangerous situations, but right now fear seemed to be taking the steering wheel of his reactions. Because of his crouching, his grip and sweaty hands caused him to lose his footing and he actually slid down the ladder at least 7 to 10 feet before he managed to get a grip back on it. The sudden traction and grip jolted his spine, and sent searing pain down his back, hips and legs. The pain alone caused him to bite his tongue hard enough to make it bleed, but he refused to let his eyes water.
No. He had lived with this suffering long enough, he refused to cry. ESPECIALLY not in this situation. Much to his delight he hadn’t yet realized his sliding endeavors literally landed him a single wrung above the ground. Don’t show weakness, he spat angrily in his mind, forcing himself to look up, directly into the man’s disgruntled gaze. Much to his surprise, the massive man smirked faintly and locked eyes with him in a silent challenge. The man turned and spoke firmly to the nearest enforcer who nearly balked at him.
“Leave this Zaunian scum to me…” The man spoke gruffly, eyes wrinkling around the edges. The expression on his face seemed like he was going to enjoy this little game of cat and mouse. The expression on Viktor’s face was just on the cusp of seething with bitter hatred, matching the beast glaring down at him. The Enforcers all turned and glanced at one another, before one spoke up.
"Sir, that’s not-"
“Are you questioning my orders?”
A heavy silence fell around the room, before he rose up to his full height, fists clenched as he rolled his neck to the right raising his shoulders creating a rather stiff cracking noise. One of the Enforcers made a gagging sound loud enough for Viktor to hear from down far below them. Hesitantly, Viktor took the final step down, instantly regretting it as his back and hip immediately screeched in pain. Much to his dismay he barely missed the remaining corpse of the shattered motor and safety lock he dislodged only a few moments ago. All he did was grit his teeth, taking a few heavy but semi labored breaths, before unhooking his cane from his arm and glancing up one last time at the man. All he could see was the gleam of the man’s eyes before his massive hands gripped the edge of the hatch doorway, before pulling with all his might, making the metal screech in distress. The heavy metal, concrete and wood structures buckled and moaned in protest, but gave way after a few solid tugs of the man’s massive brute strength.
By the time the hole was wide enough, Viktor had already began making his way through the darkness below, doing his best to navigate the rather dangerous mine terrain under his home. The man grinned, before pulling his glaive from it’s holder on his back before letting himself fall into the darkness, hitting the ground in a crouch. The impact caused the earth beneath him to buckle and shatter under his weight. A slanted smirk crept across his face. He never lost or failed, but one thing Rictus did love, was a good challenge. Let the game begin.